a Halloween Fairytail
by frozen galaxy
Summary: Rio and Ryoga had been told to never venture into the forest of the forgotten kingdom of Esmea. But they only learn the true reason as to why when they stumble upon an old castle, occupied by two vampires and their strange metal servant. A curse has been placed on the people of Esmea and it is Prince Kaito's duty to protect them. But time is running out, for his people and himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay this story is going to be done by Fairylight and myself.**

**Fairylight: I hope you like the story.**

**Me too! Read on readers!**

Two-hundred years ago, in a faraway land, there was a small and prosperous kingdom by the name of Esmea. The rulers of this great kingdom, the kind king and loveable queen, were well loved by all. They had a son, whom they raised to be an honorable and kind prince. Eventually, he grew to be just that, inspired by his parents' lovable nature. As the years passed, he had become a master swordsman, an acceptable horseback rider, and a terrible archer. And, when he learned that his mother was carrying his younger brother, (at least, that's what he thought) he was the happiest boy in the world. The royal family announced it publicly soon after. The kingdom rejoiced, and began to celebrate all through the night. If the King hadn't told them, they wouldn't have slept at all. The royal family was a happy one, and the King ruled well. The kingdom, in turn, was peaceful because of it.  
But such a peace was not to last.  
For shortly after giving birth to her youngest son, the Queen had died of an unknown illness.  
Grief struck the kingdom, especially the King and his son. Many times, the King had wavered. Many times, he wanted to give up. Just throw it all away. But each time, he only had to gaze at his two sons, at their smiling faces as they played, to strengthen his resolve. As his eldest found peace in his younger brother, so did the King find peace in the both of them. No matter how much sorrow he had, he was always a devoted father. The people never lost their faith in him. Their love for him. Maybe, he thought, just maybe, Fate decided to leave him in peace.  
But Fate had one last trial for him.  
The King's youngest son had fallen victim to the same illness that claimed his beloved mother. The familiar red spots and fever could mean nothing else.  
The King summoned all the healers in Esmea, who tried everything in their power. None of them could help the sick little infant. They could not even ease the child's pain. The King was heartbroken. It was like seeing his wife die all over again. His eldest bore more of a resemblance to him, that was true. But his youngest took after his mother. He had her soft, blue hair, her bright, golden eyes. He had a laugh that brought happiness to everyone around him. The King couldn't bear to lose him. But that was only one of the his troubles. After the death of the Queen, his eldest son had became ever distant, the life returning to him because of his little brother. The King couldn't help but notice that dead look in his eyes when he learned of his brother's sickness. His brother was his only reason of living. The King realized, he wasn't just in danger of losing his youngest son.  
He was in danger of losing both.  
A storm had struck that night, the winds powerful enough to fell trees, the lighting setting fire to them. The rain came down in torrents, flooding the lower parts of Esmea. Many turned to others for refuge, and none were refused. A Sorcerer had arrived at the castle that night, supposedly to escape from the storm. He, like others, was not refused by the kind King. He wore a dark cloak around himself, his face concealed by a hood. As he dried by the fire, the Sorcerer had revealed it was not the storm that drove him here. Upon being asked, he explained that he felt the grief emanating from the kingdom, especially at the castle. He said it had drawn him here, and he had come to get rid of it. He requested a personal audience with the King, no one else could enter. As soon as everyone had left, and the doors were closed, the Sorcerer spoke. He wanted to make a deal with the King. He had the power to save the King's youngest son, still in the crib with his older brother at his side. However, to do this, he needed payment. A life was being saved, after all. He needed another life. The King's, to be precise. Besides that, he needed more. He also wanted his most prized possession. The child, otherwise, would not be saved. The King, in an act of desperation, agreed to his demands. The sorcerer then did what was requested of him, and in a matter of hours, he had released death from the infant's body. But his work was not done. He turned around, throwing a cloud of black smoke at the King.  
The death on his son now embraced the King's fragile heart.  
It had frozen in an instant, not even giving the King a chance to see his sons for a final time.  
The sorcerer seized his chance. He cast black magic over the entirety of Esmea, condemning it and it's people to live the rest of their lives in darkness. He had turned them into creatures of the shadows, creatures thought to live in folk legends alone. He caused a deep, magical forest to sprout, enveloping the kingdom, completely hiding them from the world. No sunlight could pass through these magical trees, only the rays of the moon.  
The Prince was afraid. He had seen what the Sorcerer had done to his father. He felt that his next target would be his beloved brother. No, he knew. Because of this, armed with his sword and all of his courage, he challenged the Sorcerer to a battle of swords. He believed that love, friendship, and courage would defeat the darkness, and vanquish any evil. The sorcerer, intrigued by the boy's courage and will, accepted the challenge. They fought head to head, their abilities equally matched. It was only by resorting to tricks did the Sorcerer win. He had frozen the Prince's body for a second, one precious second, to gain an edge. Curious to see how far his opponent's will could go, he transformed both he and his younger brother into creatures sustained by blood and darkness, denied and threatened by the rays of the sun. As the Prince laid on the floor, cursed and defeated by the Sorcerer, the Sorcerer made another deal. If the prince and his brother were able to find a human feel genuine love and affection for the two of them, without a doubt in their mind, the curse on Esmea would fall. However, if they could not do so within two-hundred years time, every soul in Esmea would belong to the Sorcerer, including their own. With that, he vanished into the shadows.  
Never to be seen for another two-hundred years.  
Time passed, and Esmea was forgotten. The only thing remembered was the legend it left behind, becoming a piece of fearsome folklore, the forest itself avoided by other people.  
Because of this, Esmea has been forced to wait.  
Forgotten in the wind.

**Okay, I have no idea when the next chapter will be posted, so yeah. Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, chapter two! Let's see how this goes… I hope you like it!**

"Ryoga, where a-are we?" A worried Rio asks as they run through the mystical forest.

"I don't know Rio…" Ryoga whispers quietly.

"Do you think okaa-san and Otou-san are going to be alright?" Rio asks with a small hint of brightness.

Ryoga slows his pace as he remembers what happened not too long ago.

***Flashback***

_The King and Queen of Nydessa, along with their children set off to visit some of the villages on the territory of their kingdom in order to examine the work of the Arklights. Then they heard a horrible noise. "Rio and Ryoga, go out the back exit, now!" there mother exclaims._

_They nod as they all run out. They aren't so far away when they see some knights charging towards them. Their mother trips over a small stone and falls. Their father stops to help their mother up. "Okaa-san! Tou-san!" Rio exclaims._

_"Ryoga, you're in charge now! Take Rio and run into the forest! I don't care if it's forbidden; it's your best option!" The king yells._

_Ryoga nods and grabs Rio's hand as they run into the cursed forest._

_The king sighs as the knights approach. He looks down at his queen. They close their eyes awaiting their fate._

_The last thing Ryoga and Rio heard from their parents were the scream of their agony._

_***Flashback over***_

_"Rio… I doubt it." Ryoga says as they stop for a while to catch their breath._

_Rio whimpers slightly._

_"Don't start crying yet. Tou-san wouldn't want you crying!" Ryoga exclaims._

_Rio nods her head as they continue walking. Rio notices a moving dark figure. She walks towards it and follows it. "Rio, where are you going?" Ryoga asks._

_"This creature is calling me to follow him…" Rio says as she follows it._

_Ryoga rolls his eyes and sighs. "Fine…" he says and follows his sister._

_They continue walking for a long while through the forest and they notice a clearing. They go through the clearing and look around. "Ryoga… is this…the lost kingdom of Esmea?"_

Ryoga looks around and it could be, his father told him many times that the kingdom of Esmea was a horrible place and they should always avoid physical contact with them at all costs. His father had said that he and his family had been killing their citizens for generations, knowing the citizens were a threat towards their own kingdom. Many of the _citizens are zombies, werewolves, werecats, trolls, ogres, ghosts, goblins, harpies, hippogriffs, griffins, gremlins, gnomes, fauns, chimeras, Cyclopes and centaurs. It started to pour in the dark gloomy kingdom. "Let's go find some shelter." Ryoga says._

_"Let's continue following this bat, it'll probably take us somewhere safe." Rio says as she continues to follow the bat._

_"Wait Rio-"_

_"C'mon, tou-san always said to take shelter when it started to rain!" Rio says._

_Ryoga twitches at that statement, knowing as a fact that that she was right. He shakes his head and follows her._

_They wander around with the little bat until they notice a castle, covered in a thick surrounding of plants and ivy. The little bat shows them the entrance as the door slowly opens with a creak. The little bat disappears and the door slams shut. Ryoga runs towards the door but it vanishes. "What the-"_

_"Why have you approached our kingdom? You know we have been your enemies for years, yet you approach our kingdom?" a voice says._

_Rio hides behind Ryoga. "Come on out!" he exclaims._

Rio looks around and catches a hint of purple. "Rio! Where are you going?" she ignores him and she slowly walks towards it and she sees it changes into something. She sees something and as she slowly makes her towards it, she sees a wolf. She backs away in fear and surprise.

The wolf is also taken by surprise, that it was a young maiden. It slowly transform back to himself.

"W-who are you?" Rio asks she slowly backs away.

The man looks at her and looks her in the eye; he walks out of the shadows revealing his full figure. "Why are you here?" he asks.

"We were following a bat. We were looking for protection from the downpour." She says looking deeply into his purple eyes.

He turns around, "Haruto, why did you bring them here?"

The little bat appears and turns into a little boy with blue hair. "Yes Nii-san?"

He rolls his eyes, "Why did you bring them here?"

"Nii-san, there were lost and I thought they would need some help and then-"

"Alright, but you do know that by bringing them here, you caused them to stay here forever." The man says, knowing that they might send the entire Nydessian army after Esmea's citizens.

Haruto nods and runs off.

"Wait, stay here, forever?" Rio asks in shock.

"Yes." He says.

Ryoga runs towards the man. "No way! I challenge you to a sword fight!"

"Fine then if you win, I will let you go, if I win on the other hand, you will have to stay here, living under my command." He says.

"What's your name?" Ryoga asks.

"My name is Kaito, now then let's battle." He says as he draws his sword.

Ryoga smirks as he draws his out as well. "You're on!"

The two sword fight, causing Rio to slowly back away from the two as they fight. 'Kaito… he moves so gracefully, yet he is supremely deadly in his attack…'

With one more move, Ryoga sword is knocked out of his hands and the winner has been decided.

"You put up a good fight, but not a good enough one for me." Kaito says as he lowers his sword.

Ryoga growls, knowing that they have to stay.

Kaito claps his hand a servant appears, "Yes, your highness?"

"Show them to their room, immediately." He says.

The servant nods and guides the two towards where they will be staying. Kaito keeps his eyes on the maiden as they head trough a dark hallway.

**Ending chapter here. I'm sorry that this chapter was to short and moved along too quickly. Sorry Arlownay1991. I tried. Review please! **


	3. Chapter 3

FairyLyte: Alright, here is the next chapter of Halloween Fairytale! I'm very sorry for the delay.

Chapter 3

Ryoga was lying in his bed, grumbling about his loss. Bandages covered his arms, while smaller ones covered his face. It was stupid of him to fight that thing. That... demon. That was the only word that seemed to fit. What else could transform from wolf to man? What else could beat him so quickly, as if he were speed itself? Ryoga had spent much time in the courtyard back at the castle, practicing his swordsmanship. He was a master. He had beaten his own teacher in battle. So how? How did that demon beat him so soundly?

The door to his chambers opened, revealing a young werecat girl. She had soft, light brown fur, growing lighter as it reached the tips of her furry cat ears. She wore a dark brown dress, the skirt reaching down below her knees. Her eyes, however, were complete mystery, as they were lightly shut. She held a small box in her hands, which Ryoga recognized as the medical kit she used earlier, when she first bandaged his wounds. He sat up in his bed, wary of her.

The girl sensed his wariness. "There is no reason to worry. I will not harm you." she sat down on the bed, placing the box next to her. "Come," she said " your bandages must be changed."

Ryoga didn't move. "What makes you think I can trust you?" He asked.

The girl smiled. "Nothing. But I do know that if your wounds aren't treated, they will become infected, and you'll die. And since you were brave enough to fight for your sister's freedom, I doubt that you would be willing to leave her here alone. Please let me help you, Prince Ryoga."

Ryoga winced. The girl had a point. Reluctantly, he allowed her to take off the bandages. With quick preciseness, she cleaned the wounds on his arms and covered them with clean bandages. Ryoga wondered about the girl's skill. She was a beast. A beast from legend. What he thought to be things of that world were suddenly found to be true. But he couldn't fight back the girl. He had no form of protection. The only thing he could do was wait until the girl finished.

The girl finished in good time. She stood up, taking the box with her. In one quick moment, she had left the room.

With nothing else to do, Ryoga stood up and looked around the room, having not paid attention to it before. The room's walls were a dull grey, and purple drapes kept the light from outside from entering the room. Similar drapes decorated the sides of the bedstead, with black cords holding them back. The bedstead itself was made of mahogany, a flat roof covering the top of it. Next to the bed was a wardrobe and a small table. When Ryoga opened the wardrobe, he saw that there was a collection of clothes inside. The demon definitely had everything prepared. He also saw a chair in front of the window, to look out from if he wanted.

Ryoga turned, headed for the door, and took hold of the knob. He didn't want to look out a window. He was worried for his sister, and he was determined to find her.

With that, he opened the door, and left.

Rio's predicament and rooming weren't that different from her brother's. The only difference was the drapes. While Ryoga's room had purple drapes, she had blue. But she didn't spend much time looking at the room. She was worried for her brother. He was wounded when he was taken to his room, although he tried to hide the pain. How were they treating him? Were they caring for his wounds? These thoughts were making her sick with worry. She stopped pacing around her room and tried the door for the hundredth time. As always, it was locked. Giving up in defeat, she flopped on her bed. She had looked everywhere for something to unlock the door, but found nothing. She had tried to trick one of the servants into leaving the door open, but that never worked. It was the same servant each time; a middle aged, grey-furred werecat. And she would not be tricked. Rio had even resorted to throwing her food on the floor, hoping to annoy the werecat enough to forget about the lock. That plan was still in action. It just hadn't taken affect yet.

Rio jolted off the bed in alarm when she heard the knob being turned. Slowly, slowly, the door opened. But it wasn't the same person. The grey werecat had been replaced with a younger one.

The same one that tended to Ryoga's wounds.

However, instead of bandages, she held a tray of food in her hands. Rio grabbed one of the four rods on the bed. "What are you? Why are you here?" she asked.

The girl placed the tray on the table. "My name is Madelyn. I am a werecat. As for my being here, I noticed my friend was getting rather angry. When I learned the reason, I offered to do the job for her. Food doesn't come from nowhere, you know. You shouldn't have been doing that."

"Okay then, Madelyn. Where is my brother?"

"He is safe, and his wounds are treated. You shouldn't worry about him. You should be more worried about yourself. If you don't eat, you will get hungry, and if you remain that way, you will die. I do not want that to happen to you, or your brother. We can take care of you, but you also have to take care of yourselves. I will leave the tray here. Goodbye, Princess Rio." With that, she left, closing the door behind her.

Rio paced the room a bit longer before she picked up the tray. It held a meal of rice, soup, and bread, exactly what she threw to the floor the last three times. If the floor wasn't made of wood, it would have been much harder to clean. Rio looked at it a bit longer before eating it with the chopsticks she was given. It was tasty, contrary to what she thought. She was soon done with it, leaving the tray on the table she took it from. She went to the door, willing to try the lock one last time. She placed her hand on the knob, and smiled.

The door was unlocked.

Rio slowly snuck through the hallways in the castle. The castle was grand, even from where she was standing. There were many small, evenly spaced, pillars of white marble, reaching from the floor to the roof. In between every other space made by the pillars was an alcove, each containing a statue a little bigger than a human. They were all colored a soft grey, each one being a majestic dragon with mighty wings. However, that is where the resemblance ended. Each one was doing something different. One stood on his hind legs. One was curled up in a ball, similar to a dog, with his tail in front of his nose. Yet another was roaring on his hind legs, his front feet held in front of him, his wings fully outstretched. Though small, these mighty beasts completely transfixed Rio, who just stared in wonder.

"The craftsmanship is amazing," she said, reaching for the dragon in front of her, "I wonder who-"

She froze. The sounds of footsteps filled the room, urging Rio to retreat behind the roaring dragon, which she quickly did. She silently waited for the person to walk away, so she could continue finding her brother, but the footsteps slowed down to a stop. She began to hear them coming closer and closer, and Rio was trembling with fright. Did the person see her? Or hear her hide behind the dragon? In spite of herself, she let out a whimper.

And then wished she never had.

The footsteps stopped. Then they started to walk towards the statue she hid behind. Rio watched with terror as the persons hand came into sight, grabbed hers, and pulled her out from her hiding place. She began to scream, but was quickly stopped by the hand on her mouth. Feeling nothing but fear, Rio turned her head to face her captor.

Ryoga.

"You shouldn't scream. We don't want someone to find us, do we?" Rio stared with shock.

"Ryoga!" Rio jumped on him. "You're okay! I was looking for you."

"Of course I'm all right. What were you thinking?"

"That you were still hurt!" Rio got off of him, that glitter of happiness back in her eyes. Ryoga hadn't seen it since the attack, but then again, who could blame her? They didn't know for sure if their parents were alive or dead, though the latter seemed to make more sense. They heard their screams, they heard the men, it just all seemed so true. The only thing they didn't see was the bodies. The two didn't talk about it, but it was the only hope they had. The only hope to see their parents again. Ryoga turned around and started ahead, Rio's hand in his.

"Ry-Ryoga, where are we going?" Rio stammered.

Ryoga's answer was immediate. "Were going to find that demon."

Rio froze in her place, immediately pulling her hand from Ryoga's grip.

"No," she said, "you can't go there. Remember what he did to you. I won't let you do that again." She was adamant on her decision. She wouldn't let Ryoga fight that man. He was dangerous.

Ryoga turned towards his sister. "I'll do what I have to do to get us out," he said. "Alright, Rio?"

But as I said, she was firm. "Promise me you won't get hurt. If you do, I'll let you go." Ryoga stared at Rio for a minute, then nodded. He grabbed her hand and continued down the hall, a determined look set on his face.

'I'm going to find you, demon.' he thought, 'And you're going to release us both. I will not be trapped here for the rest of my life.'

FairyLyte: And that's the end of the chapter. Frozen Galaxy! Your turn.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, chapter! Enjoy~**

Rio and Ryoga cautiously walked around the palace, looking for Kaito. "Ryoga, where in the world are we going to find Kaito?"

"I have a hunch he's in the arena still." Ryoga spoke quietly.

Rio looked at her brother's bandages and shook her head, "You can't plan on going to fight in your condition!"

"Be quiet, now where was- here it is." Ryoga said as he twisted a knob and walked inside, with Rio following behind.

"Wait Ryoga-"

"So, I have someone who's anxious to see me."

Rio and Ryoga both jerked their heads around and saw Kaito leaning against the wall.

"Tsch, you need to make sure to lock your doors." Ryoga spat.

"I ordered her to keep them unlocked." Kaito said.

"What, why?" Rio asked.

"I do not want to treat you guys like prisoners." Kaito responded. "You guys have full access to the castle, except my room at the top of the tower."

"Why is that?" Rio asked.

"For reasons, am I understood?" Kaito asked.

Rio nodded and nudged her brother to do the same. Ryoga glared at Kaito and slightly nodded.

"Good." Kaito says as he walks away.

"Rio…" Ryoga whispered quietly.

"Yes?"

"We need to leave, now." Ryoga say as he grabs her hand and runs off in a direction.

"But Ryoga-"

"You don't exactly expect me to listen to that guy?" Ryoga questioned.

"Well…"

"C'mon" Ryoga says as he opens another door and makes their way out of the castle.

"But Ryoga! We don't have anything to defend us with!" Rio exclaimed as they quickly made it to the country area of the kingdom.

"Yes we do-" Ryoga said as he felt for his sword but stopped in realization. He had removed his sword when he went to go lie down.

"I was going to tell you that you didn't bring your sword with you!" Rio exclaimed.

"Darn it!" Ryoga exclaimed, "Let's run for it while we can!"

"But Ryoga!" Rio exclaimed as they continued running. Then, there was a loud stomping sound. The two jerked their head to the source and gasped. "Ryoga!"

"Run Rio!" Ryoga exclaims as he lets go of her hand.

"I'm not leaving you!" Rio exclaims franticly. "Especially with that thing!"

Ryoga glares at the beast, "Arrgh."

"You two!"

The two quickly turn their heads and see a familiar wolf and bat, running towards them. "Follow Haruto, now!"

The two move out of the way and quickly follow the bat.

Rio looks at the wolf as it runs towards the beast, "Kaito?"

"What the-" Ryoga began.

As they make their way back to the castle, Haruto transforms back into, well a boy.

"Was that Kaito?" Rio and Ryoga ask at the same time.

Haruto nods, just as Kaito appears through the gates.

"Why in the world did you leave when you were given strict orders that you two were forbidden to leave?" Kaito asks.

"We could leave-"

"You can barely mange yourself out here for ten minutes!" interrupted Kaito.

"Why did you come save us then?" Rio asks.

Kaito looks at her and looks away. He turns to Haruto, "Call the medic."

The little boy runs over to his brother, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Kaito says as he clutches his side.

Rio walks over to his side and looks at his gash.

"Rio! What do you think you're doing?" Ryoga exclaims.

Rio ignores her brother and touches the side of the gash.

Kaito shuts his eyes in pain and breathes heavily as he pushes her hand away from him.

"Nii-san, are you going to be fine?" Haruto asks.

"I'll be fine." Kaito says as he walks away.

Rio runs after him, "No you won't! Your gash is serious!"

"You know that by?" Kaito asks her.

"The medics at our castle. I went there often to help the wounded." Rio says as she grabs his hand forcing him to stop.

"Let me go." Kaito says.

"At least let me treat it. I know how to and I, we owe you back." Rio says.

Kaito looks her in the eyes and sighs, "Fine… Haruto, go tell a medic to prep a medical bed and the supplies." Kaito says with a grunt.

"Ryoga! Get over here!" Rio exclaims.

"Why are we even helping him?" Ryoga asks, not even budging from his spot.

"We owe him –Kaito!" Rio exclaims as Kaito slowly sinks to the ground, "Now Ryoga!"

Ryoga groans and walks towards the two, "Fine…"

Haruto flies back motioning for them to follow him. Rio shakes her head and helps her brother on one side all the way to the medic room.

The two both place Kaito on the bed. "Leave, both of you." Rio says as she looks at the two.

"What?" Ryoga asks.

"I need to work alone and silence." Rio says.

Haruto transforms back into a boy and nods. He grabs Ryoga's hand and pulls him out the door. Rio walks over to the door and locks it. Rio gazed back to Kaito and sigh. "I need you to take of all your top clothing." Rio says.

Kaito winces but slowly nods. He slowly takes off his coat, with the help of Rio, and undergarments.

Rio grabs a cloth, which was in a bowl of water, and dabs it gently around the gash. "You're lucky that it isn't too deep."

Kaito at her and sighs, why did he let her do this for him again?

"This might sting a little." Rio says as she grabs a container with a powder in it. She tosses some on the scar as Kaito clutched his hands together tightly. Rio placed her hand on top of his and smiled. "You're doing fine."

Kaito looks at her surprised; no one has ever touched his hand, with the exception of Haruto.

Rio grabs another container and spreads the concoction over the gash.

"Are you positive that you know what you're doing?" Kaito asks as he closes his eyes again.

Rio nods, "The powder was to help the process to speed up while this ointment is used to actually heal you."

Kaito nods and sighs heavily.

Rio grabs some bandages and slowly started to wrap it around him. Once she had completely finished, she stepped back and nodded her head.

"What about your dress?" Kaito asks as he points to her dress.

Rio looks down at her dress, which apparently had a stain from the blood she must have gotten while carrying him over. "I'll be fine."

Kaito looks at her, "Are you sure?"

Rio nods.

Kaito sighs and closes his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Rio asks as she walks over to him.

"Nothing."

"Is something wrong?" Rio asked.

"The entire kingdom is in danger." Kaito speaks quietly.

"What?" Rio asks.

**End of the chapter! Review please! Your turn FairyLyte! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

FairyLyte: Here's the next chapter people!

Kaito: A chapter of humiliation.

FairyLyte: What was that?

Kaito: Nothing.

FairyLyte: You said something! Tell me what it is!

Kaito: No way.

FairyLyte: Tell me!

Kaito: No!

Haruto: FairyLyte doesn't own Zexal. Neither does Frozen Galaxy-san.

Chapter 5

Rio continued to stare at Kaito, the shock still evident on her face. The small kit sat silently beside her, as she knelt down and raised her hands to rest on Kaito's thighs.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Ryoga had retreated into his room, accompanied by the small boy Haruto. Ryoga was pacing around his room, the latter boy sitting on the chair in front of the window. He was swinging his legs in a childish manner, proving how young he really was. This continued for a few more minutes before Haruto broke the silence.

"Something you wanna ask me?"

Ryoga paused in his step. He slowly turned towards the young boy. "What?" he asked.

Haruto chuckled. "Believe it or not, my brother and I are very observant. I can tell just by looking at you. You really wanna ask me something. May I ask what it is?"

Ryoga walked towards Haruto, a serious expression on his face. "Actually, yes, there is," he said. "What are you?"

Haruto paused. He turned his head towards Ryoga, a smile on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Ryoga answered swiftly. "You people do things that a beast should never be able to do. You can bandage wounds, you can cook, you can fight. You have feelings. Monsters don't know how to do such things. Not real ones. So that's my question. What are you?"

Haruto sighed. "My fault for asking," he said under his breath. He raised his voice for Ryoga to hear, "Nii-san might get mad at me for this, but I guess I should tell you."

Kaito let out a 'tch' in irritation. He wished he had held his tongue. Now he was in a situation he couldn't worm his way out of.

Rio, regardless, continued to ask.

"What do you mean by, 'the kingdom is in danger'?" she urged, "What is it, Kaito-san?" She tightened her grip on Kaito's thighs.

Kaito gave in. Sighing, he took Rio's hand, lifted it off his thigh, and looked her in the eyes.

"If you really want to know," he said, his eyes glowing green, instead of his natural light grey, "I'll tell you the tale. Of how Esmea became this terror."

Rio's eyes widened as the world around her became dark. All sound was drowned out. She seemed to float in the air, surrounded by the dark. No. A better word would be nothingness.

A world of darkness and silence.

Rio brought her hands to her eyes as the world began to fill with light. The world of darkness was replaced by one of light in a matter of seconds. Slowly, the light began to fade, a castle room revealing itself. Gentle daylight shone through the window, white drapes adorning it. The room itself was big, a large bed of polished maple against one of the walls. A wooden floor revealed itself, allowing Rio somewhere to stand. More of the light receded, showing a tall wardrobe, a sheathed sword resting against it. Rio walked over to the window, and began to reach for one of the drapes.

She had barely touched it when she heard a sound. The first since she got here.

The innocent giggle of a baby.

Curious, Rio turned around. To her surprise, the light had revealed one more thing.

A crib.

She slowly walked towards the wooden rocker, wondering what was inside. She laid her hand on the edge of the crib, and slowly peeked into it.

Inside was an infant, possibly only a few weeks old. His eyes were a dark blue, eyes that seemed to sparkle with innocence. He had blond hair, a small green fringe adorning the front. As Rio looked at this child, a single word escaped her mouth.

"Kaito-san?" she wondered.

"Yes. That is me. I was born to the King and Queen of Esmea."

Rio jumped back, her hands retreating towards her face. "Kaito-san?!" Her eyes darted around the room, "Where are you?" she asked.

"In the room. Where we both are. I'm simply showing you what happened in the past."

"What does this have to do with Esmea?" Rio questioned.

"Look out the window."

Rio promptly obeyed. She walked over to the window as she did before, and, raising her hand, she pulled away the drapes.

What she saw was nothing like what she saw before, in her room.

It was bustling little kingdom, full of happy people and cheery faces. Children played games in the streets, games of tag, or hide and seek. Nothing like the dreary wasteland outside her window. Tears came to her eyes as she asked, "What happened?"

"He came."

"Who?" Rio asked.

The room began to grow darker, rainclouds gathering in the sky above. Thunder roared, lightning clashed, rain began to pour. Lightning flashed, revealing the transparent form of Kaito. His fists were clenched, a look of anguish on his face. He looked Rio in the eyes, a spark of pure hate visible in them.

"Rulereign."

Ryoga stood in the room with Haruto, who had closed his eyes when he began to tell the story.

"My mother had died," Haruto continued, "from an illness that I soon fell victim to. There was no hope for me. Both my father and my brother despaired. More so than anyone would think."

Rio had now found herself in a throne room. Grand marble pillars held the tall ceiling in it's place. A long, red embroidered carpet decorated the floor. Grand doors stood behind Rio, three maple thrones in front of her. In the middle sat the largest throne, a slightly smaller one to the left of it. To the right sat an even smaller throne, meant for the children the royal family might have. In front of the King's throne stood Kaito's transparent form. He silently stood there, with his hand resting on the arm of the throne. Rio listened when Kaito continued to explain.

"My father sold his soul. He wanted to save my brother. Save Haruto. But that madman exploited his love for the two of us. Rulereign cursed this entire kingdom, grew this forest. Because of this, my father is now dead."

"Rulereign cursed both me and my brother," Haruto said. "He cursed us to live as vampires. He cursed the rest of the kingdom, every single person here was transformed into a beast. You wanted to know why we act like people, so there's your answer. We are people. At least, our minds are. Sometimes, people just... let go. They can't hold onto that human side of themselves. They become true monsters, like the one that attacked you two in the forest."

Ryoga's face softened. He began to speak in a low tone. "How long have you lived like this?" he asked.

Rio's eyes widened at the truth. All to suddenly, she was jerked back to reality. Kaito was still in front of her, his eyes still glowing green, her hand still in his. There was only one difference.

She knew.

With a quivering hand, Rio laid her other hand on Kaito's shoulder. "How long?" she asked. "How many years have you lived like this?"

Both boys looked up at their respective twin. Both of their eyes flashed, Haruto's glowing a brilliant blue. With a determined expression, they both answered the question.

"Two-hundred years. Two-hundred years have passed."

FairyLyte: And, that's that. Hope you liked the chapter, everybody! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry for not updating lately! But hey, school does get in life's way. Let's just start…**

Rio stared at Kaito and choked on the words she had to say next, "T-two hundred…" was all she could manage.

"Yes… two hundred years…" Kaito replied as he looked her directly into the eye as his eyes returned to their normal light gray.

"Your father sacrificed so much…" Rio said quietly.

Kaito nodded solemnly, "He didn't want to lose my brother." He said and looked away.

Rio looked away at the ground and sighed softly. "Your mother… how did she die?"

Kaito sighed as he looked at her, "She died while giving birth to… Haruto… due to an unknown illness," he said quietly.

Rio jerked her head back towards him, "So Haruto inherited her illness…" Rio said as she looked at him softly in the eyes. "Your father was willing to save him. He cared about you two so much…

SSSS

There was a knock on the door.

Ryoga stared at the boy in shock, "Two hundred?" he asked making sure what he had heard was true.

Haruto nodded as his eyes returned to their normal soft color. "Yes Ryoga-kun, two hundred years…"

"Who's there?" Haruto asked as Ryoga looked at the door.

"I-it's me… Haruna." The little voice said.

Haruto smiled, "Come on in."

The door slowly creaked open revealing a girl. Her lemony blond hair was cropped short and her blonde bangs reached the top of her forehead. She was wearing a pine green dress with pale white stripes. She wore a small washed-out apron. Her most distinguishing feature was her face. One half of her face was… doll like while the other half was normal. One eye was a cold gray like his brother. Her other eye on the other hand was a faded magenta color. She wore a white hat with a light blue bow on top and frills around the edge of the hat. "Hello Haruto."

"Hello Haruna."

"Who's that?" Haruna asked as she pointed at Ryoga, who in return gave her a stern look.

"Oh him? That's Ryoga, he's a guest." Haruto said with a small smile.

"Hello… Ryoga?" Haruna tried.

"Yes… hi…" Ryoga muttered as he crossed his arms and turned away.

"Stubborn fellow huh?"

Haruto smiled, "Yup… really…"

Haruna smiled, "So… what's new?"'

"We have two guests. Him and his sister." Haruto said as he pointed at Ryoga.

"Where's his sister?"

"With Nii-san."

"Is he planning on…" Haruna asked, knowing that Haruto would probably know what she was talking about.

"I don't know yet…" Haruto said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"B-but time's running out!" Haruna exclaimed.

"Hey"

The two turned their heads towards a Ryoga who apparently didn't like to be kept in the dark. "Yes Ryoga?" Haruto asked politely.

"What is Kaito planning?" Ryoga asked.

"You don't need to know Ryoga, besides since when did you care so much anyways?" Haruto ask giving the prince a curious look.

Ryoga growled and looked away, "Nevermind…" he said as he shut his eyes,

Haruto smiled and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, "Yes Haruna?"

"Who is this Rio?" She asked with a curious look.

Haruto chuckled, "Everyone has questions, don't they? C'mon, I'll show you." Haruto said as he walked towards the door.

Haruna turned towards to Ryoga, "Will you like to accompany us?"

There was no response except a light snore.

"Leave him alone, he's had a hard day. Besides, it may cause some issues if he comes." Haruto said as he walked away.

"Okay." Haruna said as she walked out of the door and closed it, "Goodnight Ryoga-kun." She said as she ran up ahead to catch up to her friend.

SSSS

"So… what have you guys been doing all these years?" Rio asked.

"I have been training and been trying to keep the citizens from leaving." Kaito replied.

"Is that why you're so good at sword fighting?" She asked as she gave him an inquisitive look.

"Maybe…" Kaito said with a smirk.

"How's your wound?" Rio asked with a smile as she gazed down to his bandaged wounds.

"They're fine"

"Are you sure?" Rio asked as she touched the bandaged wounds.

Kaito softly grunted, "I'm fine…" he lied.

Rio gazed back his eyes, "No you aren't."

"Yes I am."

"Your eyes are a bit teary and foggy. That means something isn't right or somewhere is hurting." Rio stated as she looked at him.

"How do you know that?" Kaito asked.

Rio smiled, "Do you think it's that easy to get Ryoga to admit he's hurt or needs help?" Rio questioned.

"He seems pretty stubborn I guess." Kaito said with a smirk.

Rio smiled and took his hand and squeezed it. "Now tell me where it hurts."

Kaito stared at her, "I don't need you to worry about my wounds." Kaito said.

"I do to." Rio said as she looked him in the eye.

"I'll be fine." Kaito said.

Rio released his hand, "Fine then, and try to put your shirt on." Rio said as she tossed him a clean shirt.

Kaito narrowed his eyes at her and took the shirt. He stood up and grunted slightly. A sharp pain ran through the side of his body. Kaito sat down back on the bed and took a deep breath.

"Tell me where it hurts." Rio said as she walked over to the other side.

Kaito glared at her and sighed, "Fine…"

Rio nodded confidently as she touched the side of his wound. He winced at the feeling of her hands applying pressure on top of his wounds. "That's where it hurts?" Rio asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Kaito slowly nodded and looked away.

Rio rolled her eyes as she got of the bed and grabbed the bandages, "You know, it's nothing to be ashamed of you needing help. Everyone needs help sometimes." Rio said as she walked back to him. "I'm going to add another layer of the bandage on and add some herbs on it." Rio said as she placed some herbs on and began to wrap the bandages around.

The doors opened abruptly and there stood Haruto and Haruna. "Nii-san…" Haruto said shocked. "W-why is Rio-san hugging y-you?" he asked.

Apparently, as Rio was wrapping him it made her look like she was hugging him.

Kaito looked down at her as a pale pink colored his pale skin, which showed through. Rio looked up at him and blushed, except her blush was a little dark than his. Rio broke away and looked away, "I was just applying another layer of bandages on him…"

"Of course…" Haruto said as he looked up at his brother with a smirk. His brother shot him a glare.

"So this is Rio…" Haruna said as she looked at the blue haired girl. "She's really pretty. Kaito must like her a whole lot and trust her a whole to let her treat him."

Their blush only intensified. "H-Haruna, it isn't like that." Kaito said calmly as he took a deep breath.

"U-huh, sure. Explain your blush then." Haruna pointed out with a smirk.

Kaito shot her a glare which only caused the two kids to laugh. "Get out you two."

"Okay Nii-san, tell me when Rio-san becomes Nee-san!" Haruto exclaimed as he grabbed Haruna's hand and ran out of the room before his brother could get them.

Kaito stood up abruptly, "Haruto-"

"Don't go!" Rio exclaimed as she grabbed his hands. "Your wounds aren't ready yet! You're still not well enough to leave anyways!" Rio said.

Kaito looked at her as a sharp pain ran through him, causing him to grab his side. He started to feel shaky.

"K-Kaito!" Rio said as she helped him back onto the bed. "You idiot, you already know that you aren't well enough to chase them yet you ignore me!" Rio said as she tied the bandages. She finished and crossed her arms. "Just rest here for a while until you feel a little less dizzy." Rio said as she turned around to leave.

"Wait" Kaito said as he grabbed her hand, "What's it to you that I'm okay?"

"Because I owe you back and I don't want to know any more deaths this week." Rio answered as she shook her head.

"Are you okay?" Kaito asked.

"I am *yawn* just a little tired…" she said as she began to walk away.

"Just sleep in here. You don't even know the way to your room and you probably wouldn't make it there anyways." Kaito replied.

"B-but… do you feel comfortable with me sleeping next to you?" Rio asked.

"I don't do this because if I am comfortable or not, this is a duty of a prince." Kaito responded as he looked away.

Rio softly smiled and nodded as she joined him on the bed. She laid down and yawned once more, "If anything hurts or happens… wake me… up…" Rio managed to say before she dozed off.

"Sure…" Kaito replied with a sigh. He gazed down at the sleeping girl and touched her blue hair. He sighed as he closed his eyes, dozing off as well.

**Gah, I wish this was longer. Anyways, sorry for keeping you guys waiting! Review please! :D**


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